ON MAY 8, THE MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATURE restarted the lengthy process that may put a constitutional amendment requiring a “millionaire tax” before voters in 2022. Advocates had hoped that the amendment would appear […]
Progressive taxation — let’s do it right
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
State: New toxins data don’t change stance on Weymouth gas facility
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE DESPITE CONCEDING that a handful of samples showed concentrations of toxins above standard limits, state regulators believe a new batch of air-quality data does not change […]
Posted inEnvironment
Air conditioning in school is a hot button topic
AS WARM TEMPERATURES ARRIVE, school officials are reaching for the switch to turn on air conditioners. Fans may do the trick for a little while, but eventually, as studies show, […]
Posted inThe Download
Air conditioning in school is a hot button topic
As warm temperatures arrive, school officials are reaching for the switch to turn on air conditioners. Fans may do the trick for a little while, but eventually, as studies show, […]
Posted inTransportation
Senate passes distracted driving bill unanimously
LEGISLATION TO CRACK down on cellphone use by drivers breezed through the Senate on Thursday, setting up a debate with the House over how concerns about racial profiling should be […]
Posted inUncategorized
DCR’s lax oversight of leases causing problems
THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION’S lax oversight of Department of Conservation and Recreation property is costing the state money and wreaking havoc on one leaseholder trying to keep a carousel running in […]
Posted inOpinion
MassBIO’s drug pricing concerns don’t add up
ONE OF THE MORE PUZZLING arguments the Massachusetts biopharma industry is putting forward during the Beacon Hill debate over Medicaid drug pricing is that innovative drugs won’t be developed and […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion
Time to rein in prescription drug costs
WHEN MICHELLE KATS was diagnosed with diabetes in 2001, her parents would stay in her room at night and check her blood sugar to make sure it was not too […]
Posted inEnvironment
Mass. faces high risk from hurricane flooding
AS THE NATION enters hurricane season, Massachusetts is one of a handful of states on the East Coast facing the greatest financial risk because of the heavy concentration of business […]
Posted inThe Download
Trial recalls 2014 horror in Blackstone
The murder trial of Erika Murray is a gut-turning tragedy that defines callousness. Murray is facing charges of murdering two infants discovered in her Blackstone home five years ago. A […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Trial recalls 2014 horror in Blackstone
THE MURDER TRIAL of Erika Murray is a gut-turning tragedy that defines callousness. Murray is facing charges of murdering two infants discovered in her Blackstone home five years ago. A […]
Posted inPolitics
Pro-union bill receives big bipartisan support in House
DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS in the House voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to pass a bill backed by all of the state’s public-sector unions that would restore some labor power that had been […]
Posted inEnvironment
Crowd-sourcing energy efficiency
EVERSOURCE ENERGY on Wednesday began offering businesses and homeowners incentive payments ranging from $20 to $1,000 a year if they allow the company to tap into devices that would allow […]
Posted inOpinion
Debunking the fracked gas fairy tale
IN APRIL, Tom Andrews wrote an opinion piece that appeared in CommonWealth calling for more fracked gas energy, claiming it “plays a critical role when it comes to cost and […]
Posted inGuns
Does attention to shooting miss the mark?
YESTERDAY’S DAYTIME FATAL SHOOTING of a taxi driver near the Prudential Center in Boston was the top story among local media outlets throughout the day and it’s the lead front-page […]
Posted inThe Download
Does attention to shooting miss the mark?
Yesterday’s daytime fatal shooting of a taxi driver near the Prudential Center in Boston was the top story among local media outlets throughout the day and it’s the lead front-page […]
Posted inUncategorized
Health panel wants to open ‘black box’ of drug brokers
A QUASI-INDEPENDENT state agency tasked with monitoring the health care marketplace has made a foray into the debate over pharmacy benefits managers, calling for more transparency about the role the […]
Posted inPolitics
US House passes DREAM Act
THE US HOUSE passed the Dream and Promise Act on Tuesday, legislation that would allow 2.5 million immigrants, including 30,000 in Massachusetts, to apply for legal status and the ability to work. The […]
Posted inTransportation
T lures Henderson from MassDevelopment
THE MBTA, which has faced criticism for lax oversight of its real estate portfolio, has hired the top real estate official at MassDevelopment. Richard Henderson, the executive vice president for […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Sen. Brady settles drunk driving case
Updated at 5:18 p.m. SEN. MICHAEL BRADY of Brockton on Tuesday avoided the hazards of a criminal trial in connection with his March 2018 drunk driving arrest, agreeing to a […]
Posted inEnvironment
Energy forecast: Good today, future uncertain
THE FORECAST FOR TODAY calls for mostly sunny skies with the high temperature in the upper 60s and the low around 52 degrees. It’s ideal weather from an energy perspective […]
Posted inThe Download
Energy forecast: Good today, future uncertain
The forecast for today calls for mostly sunny skies with the high temperature in the upper 60s and the low around 52 degrees. It’s ideal weather from an energy perspective […]
Posted inPolitics
Unions look for another win with Janus bill
HOUSE SPEAKER ROBERT DeLEO will bring a bill to the floor for a vote this week that would allow unions to charge non-members fees for certain services, a response to […]
Posted inTransportation
T notes: Ridership up in 1st quarter
THE NUMBER OF BUS AND SUBWAY riders on the MBTA increased during the first three months of the year, bucking a long-running trend of declining ridership. MBTA officials said their […]